Cold and oligotrophic environments require specific organism adaptations for survival and growth. Therefore, phytoplankton in cold, clear and nutrient-poor lakes must have particular functional attributes to cope with the harsh conditions that these environments impart. We focused on different functional classifications of species to explore how phytoplankton communities from a cold and oligotrophic lake vary across space and time. Lake Tovel (LTER site IT09-005-A and NETLAKE site, Eastern Alps, Italy) is a deep oligotrophic lake characterized by cold (2013 annual mean lake temperature 6.1 ± 2.3 °C), clear water (longterm Kd values indicate 1% light penetration up to a depth of 20 m and 0.1% up to 35 m) and low phosphorus concentration (<10 µg L-1). We collected integrated samples during the icefree period (April-December 2013) in the lake’s deep central basin (upper 0-20 m and lower 30-35 m) and in the shallow NE basin (0-4 m) and analysed the spatial and temporal patterns of functional groups and traits in relation to selected environmental variables. Despite the absence of dispersal barriers, the phytoplankton functional structure differed among the three sites. Overall, the community was mainly composed of unicellular, mixotrophic, flagellates, and silica-walled organisms. Several psychrophilic taxa were also present, making this lake a good model for tracking climate change effects in cold ecosystems. This study shows how diverse communities can develop in close proximity and is an example of "everything is everywhere, but the environment selects"

Cellamare, M.; Lançon, A.M.; Leitão, M.; Cerasino, L.; Obertegger, U.; Flaim, G. (2014). Phytoplankton functional structure in a cold and oligotrophic lake through space and time. In: 17th Workshop of the International Association of Phytoplankton Taxonomy and Ecology (IAP), Kastoria, Greece, 14-21 September 2014: 19. handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/24163

Phytoplankton functional structure in a cold and oligotrophic lake through space and time

Cerasino, Leonardo;Obertegger, Ulrike;Flaim, Giovanna
2014-01-01

Abstract

Cold and oligotrophic environments require specific organism adaptations for survival and growth. Therefore, phytoplankton in cold, clear and nutrient-poor lakes must have particular functional attributes to cope with the harsh conditions that these environments impart. We focused on different functional classifications of species to explore how phytoplankton communities from a cold and oligotrophic lake vary across space and time. Lake Tovel (LTER site IT09-005-A and NETLAKE site, Eastern Alps, Italy) is a deep oligotrophic lake characterized by cold (2013 annual mean lake temperature 6.1 ± 2.3 °C), clear water (longterm Kd values indicate 1% light penetration up to a depth of 20 m and 0.1% up to 35 m) and low phosphorus concentration (<10 µg L-1). We collected integrated samples during the icefree period (April-December 2013) in the lake’s deep central basin (upper 0-20 m and lower 30-35 m) and in the shallow NE basin (0-4 m) and analysed the spatial and temporal patterns of functional groups and traits in relation to selected environmental variables. Despite the absence of dispersal barriers, the phytoplankton functional structure differed among the three sites. Overall, the community was mainly composed of unicellular, mixotrophic, flagellates, and silica-walled organisms. Several psychrophilic taxa were also present, making this lake a good model for tracking climate change effects in cold ecosystems. This study shows how diverse communities can develop in close proximity and is an example of "everything is everywhere, but the environment selects"
Functional Diversity
Tovel
Phytoplankton
2014
Cellamare, M.; Lançon, A.M.; Leitão, M.; Cerasino, L.; Obertegger, U.; Flaim, G. (2014). Phytoplankton functional structure in a cold and oligotrophic lake through space and time. In: 17th Workshop of the International Association of Phytoplankton Taxonomy and Ecology (IAP), Kastoria, Greece, 14-21 September 2014: 19. handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/24163
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